Hybridizing matter-wave and classical accelerometers

TL;DR

This paper presents a hybrid accelerometer combining atomic and classical sensors, achieving wide bandwidth and stability, suitable for geophysics and navigation, by real-time phase correction and servo-lock techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybridization method that enhances atomic accelerometer performance without isolation platforms and reduces dead times in measurements.

Findings

Achieved bandwidth from DC to 430 Hz.

Enabled long-term stability through hybridization.

Eliminated dead times between measurements.

Abstract

We demonstrate a hybrid accelerometer that benefits from the advantages of both conventional and atomic sensors in terms of bandwidth (DC to 430 Hz) and long term stability. First, the use of a real time correction of the atom interferometer phase by the signal from the classical accelerometer enables to run it at best performances without any isolation platform. Second, a servo-lock of the DC component of the conventional sensor output signal by the atomic one realizes a hybrid sensor. This method paves the way for applications in geophysics and in inertial navigation as it overcomes the main limitation of atomic accelerometers, namely the dead times between consecutive measurements.